Sleeve based tee holder

ABSTRACT

A System for holding golf tees on an arm of a golfer, comprising a layer of fabric mounted on the sleeve to host one or multiple tees separately, and including an additional layer of fabric mounted onto the sleeve, to prevent the tee from piercing through the sleeve and wounding the golfer&#39;s skin. The tee holding System is such that the tees are inserted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, and held tightly in between the layers of fabric.

FIELD OF SEARCH AND PATENT

Int. Cl.: A41D 13/08; A41D 27/20; A63B 57/00; A63B71/08

US Cl.: 2/16; 2/59; 2/125; 2/247-254; 24/3.2; 224/182 Field ofClassification Search: Intl Cl: A41D 13/08; A41D 27/20; A63B 57/00;A63B71/08 US CL: 2/16, 59, 125; 2/160, 161.1-161.4; 2/209.13; 2/247-254;24/3.12, 3.2, 3.9; 224/182, 218, 219, 918; 473/205 BACKGROUNDPRIOR-ART 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to golf tee holders and more particularlypertains to a sleeve mounted holding system that provides quick,convenient and safe access to golf tees while keeping the arm protected.

2. Background of the Invention

A golf tee is a wooden or plastic elongated device, less than fourinches in length, and of varying width, used to elevate a golf ballabove the playing surface. The benefits of elevating a player's golfball for distance shots have been recognized for some time—before theinvention of golf tees, golf balls were placed on mounds of sand, takenfrom “tee boxes”. Modern golfers who follow the traditional rules ofgolf now use a golf tee to elevate their golf ball during the first shotof every hole. Because the golf tees are subject to extreme forcesimparted by the head of a golf club, tees often break during their use.

During game play, golfers can replace broken tees with spares that arestored in a compartment in a motorized golf cart or in a golf bag. Thesestorage locations require the golfer to take the necessary steps toretrieve the stored tees when they are needed.

Golfers who desire faster access to a supply of tees on their person maycarry a collection of tees in a shirt or pant's pocket. However, becausetees are designed for insertion into the ground with a sharp pointedend, storage in shirt and pant's pockets can be uncomfortable anddangerous. Not only can golfers be subject to the hazard presented whentees pierce a pocket's wall, but they can also be subject to injuryincurred when the sharp end of a tee contacts a hand inserted into thesestorage pockets.

Furthermore, golfers who engage in the sport during inclement, wetweather must sometime retrieve pocketed tees with a wet and soiledglove, imparting the moisture and dirt to the opening of the pockets.With respect to these drawbacks, a number of tee holding devices havebeen designed. The tee holding devices in the existing art, however,contain drawbacks that limit their usefulness and practicality by beingbulky, awkward to use, complicated to manufacture and potentiallyhazardous to the user.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Prior to the instant invention, a number of attempts have been made todesign tee holders that address the problems associated with storing andusing golf tees.

Glove Based Tee Holders

U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,609 to Herzog and U.S. Patent Application No.2002/0010956 show golf gloves with integral golf tee holdingapparatuses. These devices are entire glove structures and cannot beattached to an existing golf glove. Thus, the tee holding apparatus mustbe replaced whenever the glove must be replaced. U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,674to Jackson, Jr. shows a glove attached tee holder that consists of smallelastic rings positioned on the side of the glove, opposite the thumb.This device is a modification to a golf glove instead of an attachment,and thus must be replaced when the glove is replaced. U.S. Pat. No.4,639,947 to Lanscioni shows a golf glove with a flap opposite the palmof the device for securing golf-related accessories. This device is notan accessory, but rather integrated into a glove. U.S. Pat. No.7,370,372 to Brewer shows a golf glove with a tee attachment attached tothe glove flap. This device does not allow for tees with larger width,adds unnecessary bulk to the wrist, a critical part of a good golfswing.

Clips and Other Non-Sleeve-Based Tee Holders

U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,248 to Pommenville, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,436 to Hoytet al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,676 to Smith, show devices for holdinggolf tees, pencils and other accessories, featuring a clip to bereceived by a strap on a golf bag, a golf shoe, or a shirt collar. U.S.Design Pat. No. 453,418 to Rippeon and U.S. Design Pat. No. 25,037 toCudahy, III show golf tee holders with two major components: a teeholding component attached to a clip component, with the clip componentfrictionally engaging the material over which it is slid. Thesestructures are such that one component of the device engages the surfaceto which the holder is attached, and the other component has some meansfor holding the tees. These devices when used on the sleeve addunnecessary bulk and at times risk to the golfer for being exposedwithout protection to the pointy tip of the tee. U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,412to Antonious shows a carrier for golf tees and ball markers utilizing aflap which wraps around an object to which it is secured. U.S. PatentApplication No. 2002/0157170 to Lipscher shows a security pocket placedon the side of the garment in between the body and the arm, next to thegolfer's ribs. These devices are designed for carrying more equipmentthan golf tees, and is excessively bulky. The added structures forcarrying ball markers also make this device more costly and complicatedto manufacture.

Sleeve Based Tee Holders

French Patent No. 2830457 to Skis Rossignol is a thermoplastic storagedevice soldered or glued onto a receiving area of the shirt sleeve orvarious other area of a garment. This system is unnecessary bulky, fitsonly a certain type of tees, and is costly to manufacture.

Finally, Bette & Court, an online designer of women-only garment, sellsshort sleeve shirts with a patch to hold tees on the right sleeve. Thesystem, a single patch sewn exclusively on the right sleeve, attaches onits two lateral sides and includes two lines sown in between to providea total of three open ended pocket to store each of the three tees sideby side, similarly to French Patent No. 2830457. The system isinadequately designed as it is sold exclusively on the right sleevewhich is very inconvenient for right handed golfers, who represent themajority of golfers, as they are forced to use their left hand tomanipulate the tee; it also fails to provide sufficient protection andin particular it not only fails in preventing the pointy tip of the teefrom piercing through the fabric and injuring the golfer but also itfails to provide pockets long enough that the pointy tip of a tee longerthan 3 inches will be dangerously near the bottom of the sleeve andtherefore being at risk of getting in contact with the golfer's skin;other shortcomings include but are not limited to: lack of adequatestorage, in particular the three pocket system can only store two thinbody tees; inadequate holding capabilities, in particular it cannot holdany tee with a body larger than ⅜^(th) of an inch in width.

Disadvantages from the prior art and addressed by the present inventiondescribed thereafter include and are not limited to the following:negative impact on the golf swing, in particular, additional weight fromhaving a tee holder on a glove and hence on a wrist can trouble a golferduring his concentration phase and create imbalance during his swing;bulkiness of the system and lack of comfort, in particular, athermoplastic system on a sleeve adds unnecessary weight and creates animbalance in the fit of a shirt; lack of adaptability to different typesof tees, in particular since the prior art does not suggest the need foradapting for different shapes of tees that can vary in length, width,head size, material; lack of protection, in particular the prior art hasnot solved the issue of providing protection from the tip of the teepiercing through the pocket walls while providing a system that is freefrom any bulky component; inadequate placement or the pocket for righthanded golfers; difficulty to manufacture, in particular when the systemrequires adding bulky thermoplastic material.

In these respects, the sleeve based tee holding system according to thepresent invention substantially departs from the conventional conceptsand designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatusprimarily developed for the purpose of providing a safe, quick andconvenient access to golf tees of various shapes on an arm of a golfer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Summary of the Invention

With respect to the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known typesof golf tee holders now present in the prior art, the present inventionprovides a new sleeve mounted tee holding system construction that canbe utilized to maintain a set of golf tees, pencils and similarly shapedobjects, allthewhile said system provides fast, convenient manual accessto golf tees, pencils and similarly shaped objects, and allthewhilepreserving safety and the full function and performance of the sleeve.

To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a system forholding golf tees on a arm of a golfer, comprising a sleeve on which aremounted a fastening patch for securing the tee and a protective feature.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important featuresof the invention in order that the detailed description thereof thatfollows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additionalfeatures of the invention that will be described hereinafter and whichwill form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of the construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

One significant object of the present invention is to provide a newsleeve based tee holding system that provides a user quick access to asupply of golf tees.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new sleevebased tee holding system that is resistant to any puncture or piercingthat can originate from a new, to prevent the golf tees in turn fromabrading or puncturing the hand of the user.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newsleeve based tee holding system that is light, flexible and discrete toavoid distraction to the golfer and discomfort from the imbalance of theshirt while wearing it, and while swinging at the ball.

Even yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newsleeve based tee holding system that will mate with both sleeves andprovide easy access for right handed as well as left handed golfers.

Even yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newsleeve based tee holding system that provides storage capacity to teesof varying sizes and shapes.

Even yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newsleeve based tee holding system that provides padding to prevent thediscomfort caused from bulky tees that are worn on the sleeve.

Further advantages of the invention, along with the various features ofnovelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisdisclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operatingadvantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, referenceshould be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above description and other objects, features and other advantagesof the present invention will be more clearly understood from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention, a sleeve basedtee holding system, placed on a short sleeve shirt with the protectivepatch located in-between the sleeve and the tee.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention, a sleeve basedtee holding System, placed on a short sleeve shirt with the protectivepatch located inside the sleeve.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a variety of golf tees of differentshapes, being used by golfers around the world.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention, a sleeve basedtee holding system, including tees of various types inserted inside thesystem.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the present invention taken along the lineA-A of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the present invention taken along the lineB-B of FIG. 4, and ignores the presence of the other tees and pocketsfor simplification purposes.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the present invention taken along the lineC-C of FIG. 4, and ignores the presence of the other tees and pocketsfor simplification purposes.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the present invention taken along the lineD-D of FIG. 4, and ignores the presence of the other tees and pocketsfor simplification purposes.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the present invention taken along the lineD-D of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are two perspective views of the present invention.The tee holding system placed on the sleeve 10 a of shirt 10 is composedof an outside fastening patch 11 which contributes to the creation of apocket and the holding of a tee in place. The fastening patch 11 isstitched on its two lateral extremities on two longitudinal linesparallel to each other and parallel to the longitudinal axis of thesleeve 10 a, restricting a tee in its displacement on the planeperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve. The tee ispressured on the opposing side to the fastening patch by the sleeve 10 aor by the protective patch 12 b. A protective patch can be sown oneither side of the sleeve: in FIG. 2 the protective patch 12 a islocated in between the sleeve 10 a and the golfer's arm; in FIG. 1 theprotective patch 12 b is placed in between the tee 20 and the sleeve 10a.

A protective patch is an integral part of the present invention, howeverthe system can also combine the properties of a sleeve and theproperties of a protective patch and provide anti tee-piercingprotection without an additional patch as a consequence of the materialchosen for said sleeve; while the description of the current systemfocuses on a solution with a protective patch, the claims of the currentpatent extend to solutions providing sufficient protection and comfort,which can also be achieve through selecting a material for the sleevethat provides said advantages while saving the need for an additionalpatch. In choosing the material for a protective patch variousparameters should be taken into consideration including but not limitedto, thread count, thickness, resistance to piercing, and frictionquality with respect to the various types of materials used for a tee.

A sleeve of a golfer is subject to a variety of abrupt, rapid andmultidirectional movement, creating an unsafe environment for any objectattached on said sleeve. The tee 20 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 can finditself in an upside down vertical position with its head 20 a locatedvertically under the pointy tip 20 c. To prevent against any risk forthe tee 20 to fall, the position of tee 20 is secured by the pressurecreated by the fastening patch 11 against the shaft of the tee 20 b, andthe resulting friction.

A fastening patch is an integral part of the present invention. Inchoosing the material for a fastening patch various parameters should betaken into consideration including but not limited to, thickness,elasticity, resistance to piercing, and friction quality with respect tothe various types of materials used for a tee.

One or more fastening patches 11 can be used, and in each case the sizeof the protective patch 12 a or 12 b must be adjusted. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2both illustrate a version of the present invention that utilizes the tee20 as an example of a tee that can be held by the present invention, andthat features only one tee holding system; FIG. 4 however, illustratesanother version of the present invention where tee 20, tee 22, tee 23and tee 24 are four tees inserted into four side-by-side pocketsdelimited by two stitching lines on the sides of the fastening patch andthree in-between stitching lines separating said four tees. FIG. 5 is asectional view of the present invention taken along the line A-A of FIG.4, and illustrates the stitching described above and occurringin-between the various tee pockets holding the tees 20, 22, 23, and 24.The system may also be composed of four different patches of differentlongitudinal sizes and of different width.

The tee holding system may be located on either or both sleeves of ashirt with short of long sleeves, and may be located on any specificarea of the sleeve.

Bearing in mind the arrangement of the present invention as describedherein, the system offers a convenient storage area and a quick accessfor the golfer. A tee is inserted with its pointy tip entering firstdownwards into the opening, and it is inserted until sufficientconstriction of said inserted tee into the tee holding system isachieved. Extracting the tee out of its pocket is done using the head ofa tee to pull the body out.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a variety of golf tees of differentshapes, being used by golfers around the world. The tee 20 is the mostcommon shape used by golfers, with a longitudinal size varying in lengthfrom 2.125 inches to 3.25 inches. The tee is comprised of a head 20 a,typically about ⅜^(th) of an inch in diameter, the shaft 20 b, typicallyabout 3/16^(th) of an inch in diameter, and the pointy tip.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the present invention taken along the lineB-B of FIG. 4. The tee 20 is held securely by the fastening patch 11.

Innovation in the tee industry has been partially geared towards helpingthe golfer achieve depth consistency, whereby the part of the teelocated beneath the ground and the part of the tee located above theground are consistent from one shot to another. The consequentconsistency in ball elevation helps the golfer in the consistency of hisshots. The presence of the disk 21 d on tee 21 is the differentiatingelement with tee 20, and comes as a direct result of such effort to helpthe golfer in achieving consistent ball elevation. The tee will beinserted into the ground until 21 d is tangent to the ground. Tee 23 isanother example, whereby the longer head 23 a will be placed tangent tothe ground and the shaft 23 b is completely inserted into the ground.

Innovation in the tee industry has also been geared towards providingless friction with the golf ball and against the golf club during theimpact of the head of the golf club with the ball positioned on the tee.Tee 22 is an attempt of minimizing friction by limiting the contactwhereby the tee head 22 a has finger-like branches elevating from theshaft 22 b to create a stable contact with the golf ball. Tee 24 isanother attempt whereby bristles 24 d erecting from a base 24 a are usedto minimize friction of the ball and the club head at impact during theswing, compared to a regular tee as described above.

FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9 all are sectional views of isolated teesshowing respectively line C-C and tee 22, line D-D and tee 23, and lineE-E and tee 24. These illustrations ignore the presence of the othertees and pockets for simplification purposes. The tees 22, 23, and 24are held securely by the fastening patch 11. The elasticity of thefastening patch 11 is used to maintain the tees in place, mindful of itsunique but not unusual design. The protective patch 12 a adds paddingand limits the discomfort due to the unique shape of the tees. Inparticular, tee 22 has pointy tips on its head which can pierce throughthe sleeve 20 a and cause irritation or injury to a golfer, tee 23 hasan enlarged head that can cause bulkiness without the padding, and thebulkiness of the base 24 a of tee 24, from which the bristles 24 d areerected, is also remedied through the padding. The dimensions of theprotective patch 12 a extend beyond the pointy tip of the tee. Under ascenario where a protective patch, such as 12 b in FIG. 2, would be usedin-between the tee, a user would find the same functionality andbenefits.

As described above, the present tee holding system offers a unique andinnovative combination of advantages compared to prior systems,including but not limited to the advantages mentioned hereinafter.

One advantage is the offered protection against any tee-born accident.The present tee holding system offers protection against the pointy tippiercing the fabric through the use of a protective patch. The systemcan also be designed to provide protection without a second layer addedto the sleeve by carefully selecting a material for the sleeve thatprevents the tee from piercing the sleeve. In particular, during theinsertion process where the pointy tip is inserted first and there is ahigher risk of piercing through the sleeve. Additionally, the protectivepatch is purposely located and dimensioned so that any movementdisplacing the sleeve, displacing the tee holding system on the arm, orany movement that might cause the tee stored in the present system tobend inwards towards the arm and pierce the natural layer of fabric onthe shirt, and any event causing a tee to break inside the tee holdingsystem and which could result in creating a sharp tip that could wound aperson, will be blocked.

Another advantage is the adaptability to various tees. The present teeholding system offers adaptability to a tee held on a sleeve regardlessof the size and shape of said tee, as shown in FIG. 4. This is providedby the elasticity of the material used for the fastening patch 11, whichallows the patch 11 to adapt to the shape of a tee, and to maintainsufficient pressure as illustrated in FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG.9.

Another advantage is the maintained comfort irrespective of the teeshape: because of the padding created by the protective patch 12 a or 12b, the bulky designs of some tees widely used by golfers do not have animpact on the change in comfort to the user.

Another advantage is the overall comfort level of the system: thepresent tee holding system is extremely lean and the incremental weightfrom the material does not affect the natural fit of the shirt.

Another advantage is to help a golfer keep balance and focus during thegolf swing: because the tee holding system is out of a golfer's sightfrom the golfer during the concentration stage of the golf swing, andbecause the additional weight of such a light item is insignificant andis not felt when placed on the upper part of a sleeve, the golfer canfocus on keeping his balance unaffected during the swing.

Another advantage is to facilitate manufacturing: by using a stitchingmethod to attach a protective patch and a fastening patch, the presenttee holding system does not depart from the capacity offered by manyshirt manufacturers who also provide shirts with front pockets. As aconsequence, the cost to manufacture a shirt with the present teeholding system is only very minimally increased.

Another advantage is to maintain an easy cleaning: by having an openended pocket, the accumulation of dirt in the holding system that mayresult from multiple insertions and extractions of a tee in the pocketand in the ground can easily be cleaned.

Another advantage is to provide convenient access to right handed andleft handed golfers as the system can be located on either sleeve.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed for illustrative purposes, those interested in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. A shirt, comprising: a sleeve featuring on a portion thereofprotection against piercing from an object placed on the sleeve; afastening patch attached to the sleeve over said portion featuringprotection against piercing.
 2. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the sleevefeaturing said protection maintains full usage of features of the shirtfeatures including at least the features of manipulation, flexibility,comfort and design.
 3. The shirt of claim 1, wherein said protectionfeatured on the sleeve is a protective material fabricated as a portionof the sleeve.
 4. The shirt of claim 1, wherein said protection featuredon the sleeve is a patch attached to the sleeve.
 5. The shirt of claim1, wherein said fastening patch is located on the right sleeve
 6. Theshirt of claim 1, wherein said fastening patch is located on the leftsleeve
 7. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the fastening patch and theprotection featured on the sleeve collectively form at least one pocketfor holding the object.
 8. The shirt of claim 1, comprising thefastening patch comprises a plurality of fastening patches attached tothe sleeve over said portion featuring protection against piercing, eachof said fastening patches being independent in at least one of size,material and assembly.
 9. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the fasteningpatch includes contouring and friction to hold an object inserted withina pocket formed between the fastening patch and the sleeve.
 10. Theshirt of claim 9, wherein the contouring and friction of the fasteningpatch results from a choice of fabric with elastic capabilities.
 11. Theshirt of claim 1, wherein the fastening patch attached to the sleeveforms a pocket in the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, the pocketallowing for fast and convenient access to insert and hold at least oneobject within the pocket, with the object inserted along thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve.
 12. The shirt of claim 11, wherein saidat least one object is selected from a group consisting of a golf tee, apen, a pencil, and another object having a pointed end; the object heldwithin the pocket without affecting a functionality and performance ofthe shirt.
 13. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the fastening patchattached to the sleeve forms a pocket in a non-longitudinal axis of thesleeve, the pocket allowing for fast and convenient access to insert andhold at least one object within the pocket along the non-longitudinalaxis of the sleeve.
 14. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the fasteningpatch is attached to the sleeve by sewing at least two sides of thefastening patch to the sleeve.
 15. The shirt of claim 1, wherein thefastening patch and the protective patch are the two patches of a hookand loop system.